Monday, May 7, 2012

Dark Shadows Movie Media Round-up

As we reported last week, the Dark Shadows
cast will be appearing across the media to promote the new film, and
some more appearances have been confirmed. Original series actresses
Lara Parker (Angelique) and Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans) will be
guests on today's edition of Good Day LA from 9.00am on FOX
KTLA-TV in Los Angeles; Jackie Earle Haley will appear on the Tuesday
May 8 edition. Tuesday's edition of the syndicated Ellen chat
show will now include Michelle Pfeiffer (Elizabeth Collins Stoddard) and
Chloe Grace Moretz (Carolyn Stoddard) alongside the
previously-announced Johnny Depp (Barnabas Collins). And finally,
Wednesday May 8 sees Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton on CBS' This Morning, and Chloe Grace Moretz on NBC's Last Call With Carson Daily.

Entertainment Tonight have just shown a Making of Dark Shadows special, featuring interviews and backstage footage. The programme can be viewed online by clicking here.

Leading man Johnny Depp has spoken again about the origins of the project in a chat with The Colmbus Dispatch: "It all began... with conversations I had with Tim [Burton]. He was a big
Dark Shadows fan. It's one of those shows where, if you meet
someone who loved it, there
is just this instant and deep conversation about it." Depp also touches
on the pair's shared admiration for original Barnabas Jonathan Frid. "We
loved what Jonathan Frid did... and his attitude. We loved his
iconic look. We didn’t want to stray very far from that, with a few
different elements thrown in
there, but nothing major."

Newsweek's Daily Beast blog places Dark Shadows
under the microscope, interviewing Tim Burton and others involved with
the film. "Hardcore fans think I'm taking the p*** out of the show,
which is not the case. It's done with love and affection," says Burton,
who also speaks about his ongoing work with Johnny Depp: "Johnny is more
like a Lon Chaney or a Boris Karloff trapped inside a
leading man’s body... There’s no vanity or pressure there. Just
freedom. And spontaneity."

Elsewhere, Tim Burton shares his
surprising empathy for Collinwood's elderly housekeeper: "I sort of
thought of myself as Mrs. Johnson. She’s my type of character," he tells
Inquirer Entertainment. "I [also] gravitated
toward the idea of Barnabas being this kind of guy not in sync with his
surroundings. It was something that I had always felt close to.”

Dark Shadows make-up artist Joel Harlow talks to website PhilStar
about the challenges of creating the look for Johnny Depp's Barnabas,
including the character's distinctive elongated digits: "It had to look
slim and seamless, but when you add anything to a finger,
you’re adding bulk," he explains. "It also had to be rigid enough so
they didn’t bend
when he touches things, because that would blow the illusion instantly."

And don't forget, you can keep up with all the latest Dark Shadows developments through our dedicated Twitter feed – @DarkShadowsNews. To follow us, click here.